The Art of Faking It
by Nygma4life
Summary: Edward Nygma and Olivia Walcott are forced to work together as heads of the forensics department. In need of a sham boyfriend Olivia turns to her single co worker. Throughly rivaling fights the pair find an unexpected love.
1. It's Gotham

**A/N: ok new story guys! Let me know what you think in the reviews and by following :)**

Olivia Walcott walked as quickly as she could in her three inch heels. She was two minutes away from being considered late for work.

"Finally." She panted to herself as she reached the steps of the GCPD. She sped past everyone while straightening her black pencil skirt. Her long brown hair was a loose mess whipping behind her. Eyes followed her the whole time. Most of the men in the building liked her but she found them all boring and average.

"You're still one minute late." A voice drawled towards her. Olivia closed the door to her shared office and went to put her satchel bag on her desk.

"Well it's obvious I didn't miss anything." She said catching her breath.

Olivia glanced over at the man at the desk opposite to hers. Edward Nygma was her co partner as heads of the GCPDs forensic department. Ever since she started here last month she knew he didn't like her. Her intuition was that he was jealous of her. The lanky man was seated at his desk and scribbling on his papers. Olivia put her hair into a high ponytail and slipped on her black rectangular glasses before approaching him, "can I please see the blood test from the child?"

He gave her a tight smile, "Of course Miss Walcott." He handed her the file but she knew he didn't want to.

After about an hour of reading it Olivia finally saw it, "I found it!" She practically yelled.

Edward looked up and pushed his glasses further up his nose, "found what exactly?"

"Mackey had a high level of ATP. How could we miss that?" She muttered the last part to herself.

"Can I check it myself?" She handed the file over to him and watched with a grin as he read it.

"You're right." He told her plainly.

Olivia felt like jumping for joy. She outsmarted him finally. Since she arrived it seemed like he was on a mission to prove he was more intelligent than her. Yet here she was finding something he missed.

* * *

A month later Edward somewhat warmed up to Olivia but they still bickered about everything. He was less reluctant when it came to case information but he still tried to prove himself smarter than her. Almost every time she managed to solve his riddles. It drove him mad that someone in this incompetent city could match his intelligence.

Olivia on the other hand enjoyed his tests. Every time she got the answer right a tiny bit of her confidence was boosted. She no longer felt ignorant or any less smarter than Edward.

* * *

It was now six months since Olivia accepted the job at the GCPD. Currently she was just about to finish up the paperwork on another Jane Doe murder and then she was free to leave. The sound of a cell phone beeping broke her out of her concentration. Olivia looked down as the screen read MOM. She bit her lip debating if she should answer.

"If you're not going to answer it at least turn it off." Edward's voice said from across the room.

Olivia went with her gut feeling as she flipped the phone open, "hello mom."

Edward looked up from his work. He watched as Olivia's face filled with embarrassment and nervousness.

"Uh yeah I could come visit next weekend.." her voice sounded uneasy.

Edward noticed as a blush spread across her face from whatever was being said.

"I'd need to c-check if .. if he could." She waited for a reply before saying okay and shutting the phone rapidly. Olivia buried her face in her hands. She was too busy and tired to have to deal with her family.

Edward couldn't help his curiosity to know what made her so upset, "what happened?"

"It's a long story." She said into her hands.

"So condense it" if she didn't tell him he would be wondering all weekend what it was.

"When I moved here my parents keep pestering me about how dangerous it was here and that I should move back home. So a few weeks later I told them I had a boyfriend that would be around to protect me. Now my mom wants me to bring him next weekend so they could meet him." Olivia recomposed herself to finish up her work.

"Everyone asks for me but yet everyone hates to face me, for someone I am agony for others I am relief! Who am I?"

Olivia almost instantly knew the answer, "the truth. I can't just tell them the truth now. I'll think of something."

She looked down at her papers, "I can get a sham boyfriend." She spoke almost to herself.

"Well I'm going to be off, good-" Edward was getting up to leave.

"Wait! Last time I checked you didn't have a girlfriend Mr. Nygma." Olivia told him with a sly smile.

"I'd love to help you but you see I'm quite busy."

Before he could open the door Olivia spoke, "it would be quite a shame for everyone to find out what really happened to Ms. Kringle."

Edward stopped dead in his tracks, "no-nothing happened to her… she r-ran away." He never stuttered anymore but out of nervousness it came back.

"Next time you're going to bury a body don't write it on a todo list and leave it in the open for your nosey partner."

"You've looked through my stuff?!" He asked her shocked.

"Of course I did! You just showed up to work paranoid of a fly all of a sudden!"

Edward stood at the door thinking. Olivia finished her paper work quickly and too was about to leave. Just as she was slipping her coat on Edward spoke, "I'll do it."

"Great! I'll work out the details and give them to you on Monday." She replied as they walked out together.

"I would have never guessed you would use blackmail Miss Walcott."

"It's Gotham, everyone's corrupt. See ya Monday." She said before leaving to walk home.


	2. Sandpoint, ID

**A/N- so glad that some people like this so far so I will be continuing the story! Sorry it took so long but I'm going to be updating this regularly.**

 **Remember read and review.**

* * *

Monday morning came and Edward went into work early like he always did. This time he was greeted warmly with a surprise. The light to the office was already on and Olivia's things were at her desk but she wasn't in the room. Edward situated himself at his own desk while pondering why the girl was here so early. Most of the time she hardly could make it in at 8:30.

About five minutes later he heard the familiar sound of the door opening.

"Good morning Edward." Olivia almost sung from her good mood.

"Why are you here this early?" His tone was more on the serious side.

"What no good morning?" She went towards her desk.

He sighed before answering, "Fine .. good morning. Now why were you here before me?"

"Just had some stuff to take care of. By the way you have next Monday off." She told him while she casually looked into her satchel bag.

"What? Why?" Why would I have off he asked himself.

"Geez what's with all the questions? Well my new _beau_ we're going to visit my parents this weekend."

He quickly pieced everything together, "how did you manage to get the day off for me?"

Olivia pondered if she should tell him what actually happened.

 ** _Flashback_**

 _Olivia knocked on the door of Captain Barnes offices._

 _"Come in" the gruff voice told her._

 _"Good morning Captain, I was wondering if I could talk to you?"_

 _He gestured to one of the chairs in front of his desk, "of course Ms. Walcott."_

 _She took a seat, "What seems to be the problem? It's not Mr. Nygma I hope?" He asked her._

 _"No but it concerns him. I uh was wondering if we could both have next Monday off?"_

 _The man thought about it quickly, "I don't know because then I'm left with my forensic heads both gone. Is there a specific reason you both need the day off?"_

 _Olivia felt slightly mousse as she thought of an excuse, "um yeah. We're flying out to see my parents."_

 _The look of shock on Barness face was priceless, "oh are you two…?"_

 _"Yeah… but it's a secret. He's still embarrassed from when he was dating Kristen Kringle and she ran away with her ex so we've kept it from everyone." The lies seemed to roll off her tongue without a problem._

 _"Ah I see. Well consider it done Ms. Walcott." He gave her a small smile._

 _"Thank you so much Captain." She gave him a large smile before walking out. The entire walk back to her office she wore an even larger grin._

* * *

"Oh you know, I just asked nicely." Edward seemed to believe her so she quickly dropped the subject.

"Ok so I booked two plane tickets for Friday at 7."

"Where are we even going?" He asked her feeling uneasily.

"Sandpoint, Idaho but our flight is to Spokane Washington."

All Edward replied back with was an oh. He would need to investigate this Sandpoint city sometime this week. He really wasn't familiar with the Northwest.

* * *

"You know it would have been faster if we just left from work." Edward told her as they walked to her apartment.

"As if I'd want anyone to know I'm vacationing with you. Plus I live right here." She pointed towards the apartment buildings coming up.

"Yea so close you can't come in on time." He muttered to himself.

"I'll just be a second" she said running inside.

Edward was shocked when he watched her go inside. Before he could say anything she was already in. She lived in one of the nicest buildings in the city. He was left wondering how. Sure forensics paid pretty good but not this good.

About ten minutes later she came out with a man holding her bags for her.

"Don't worry Jeffrey already called us a cab."

She thanked him as he set the bags down and went back inside.

"How long have you lived here?" Edward asked her once the doorman was gone.

She looked at him confused, "since I moved here?"

Something didn't add up but he would get to the bottom of it by Monday.

They arrived at the Gotham City Airport in only a half hour.

"I've calculated it's going to take approximately 53 minutes to go through all of the security." He told her purposely because it was her fault they arrived so late.

"No it's actually going to be about 20." She replied back to him lazily.

"That's not possible." Edward didn't get why she was always trying to get under his skin. Like she enjoyed annoying him.

Instead of replying she hummed to herself while they made their way up to the window. Olivia handed the woman working the two tickets and her own id while Edward gave her his.

"Oh Ms. Walcott and Mr. Nygma go right this way!" The woman pointed away from the crowd and towards an emptier scanning.

Olivia said thanks before leading the way. She didn't get far as Edward caught her hand, "how did you do that?" He questioned her.

She faced him with a grin, "it's called my first class perks. I told you it wasn't going to take 53 minutes."

They walked together towards their gate number. Edward had felt bad watching the girl struggle to hold her two bags so he offered to carry one for her.

Within no time they were seated in first class. Olivia adjusted herself until she was fully comfortable in the reclined seat, "well it's been a long week. Wake me when we're close." She closed her eyes.

The exaggerated shrill of a voice snapped her eyes back open, "are you crazy! You expect this boyfriend thing to work yet you know nothing about me. And honestly I don't know much about you."

"Ok ok. Fine." She said sitting up straighter in her chair, "what'd ya wanna start with?"

"How did we fall in love? Because that's something I could never picture."

"So we met at work." She thought briefly, "it was a forbidden love because we work together.. but gosh I couldn't keep myself away from you!" She jokingly exaggerated the last part.

"Of course it would be you coming onto me." He said confidently.

Olivia gave him a mock laugh, "my bad I told it wrong. Edward over here couldn't resist a girl smarter than him."

"What… you're …"

"It's ok to admit the truth." She interrupted him before falling into a fit of giggles.

For the majority of the flight they spent time exchanging meaningless small things about each other. Everything Olivia liked Edward liked the opposite. He liked green she liked red. Edward read only scientific and nonfiction while she read romance and fantasy books. She would eat just about anything but Edward had a list of things he didn't like. This continued with just about everything. It seemed like their only mutual interest was their job.

Edward felt sympathetic after a while and let her take a nap. Although he wasn't fond of her and was only doing this due to her blackmail he still was excited to explore a new area. Edward watched the night clouds out the plane window while mentally preparing himself for this long weekend.

* * *

"We're stuck taking a bus" Olivia complained, "I felt bad asking my mom to drive here this late."

They had landed in Washington at little over midnight. The bus line they took to Idaho was almost deserted. It was just them and another man inside the small bus.

"How long is the ride going to be? My sleep cycle is getting ruined by the minute." Edward complained as he looked out the window.

Olivia rolled her eyes at him, "over an hour." She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a magazine.

Edward looked to see what she was reading, "Cosmopolitan? Don't tell me you read this trash!"

"It's not trash! It's filled with important life lessons."

He quickly snatched the magazine out of her hand, "oh yes 'how to get over a bad love affair that was so good'. Sounds like an everyday problem for you."

"Maybe I'll need it in the future." Olivia defended herself.

"For someone that doesn't date you sure do have hope."

"For someone whose business it isn't you sure do have a lot to say."

He put his hands up in defense, "just stating what I observe."

"I date people.." Olivia mumbled to herself. Just because she didn't like any of the guys in Gotham enough to date them didn't mean she didn't date. When she found someone she liked she would date him.

For the rest of the bus ride Olivia read while Edward completed his puzzle books. He knew if he didn't keep his mind occupied he would end up falling asleep. She never told him that it was going to be such a hassle coming home with her. He expected an easy flight and to just go get the weekend over with.

Before he knew it the bus stopped in a small town. It was dimly lighted and all of the shops were closed. The only sound heard was the sound of the bus running and crickets in the distance.

"It's just a short walk." Olivia told him as she led the way.

Edward observed the neighborhood as they walked. The bus had dropped them off in what seemed like a small city. It was filled with closed shops. Once they left the city area everything became more rural. The houses were all big and spaced out. Everyone of them had their own big lawns and areas of land.

Soon they arrived near a lake. Edward watched the moon reflect off the water from behind the single house here. It wasn't like the surrounding houses. This one was much bigger and nicer.

"This is your parents house!?" Ed stopped dead in his tracks.

Olivia turned to face him, "um yea"

Edward took in the entire house. The outside was illuminated enough for him to see everything. Wood and brick covered the outside of the large two story house. A wood awning held up by stone pillars paved the way towards the door. From outside he could see a light coming out from one of the windows. All the way on the right was three car garage doors. He couldn't believe it. Three cars! Edward tried to grasp why someone with this life packed up and moved to Gotham.

"Are you done gawking?" Olivia's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"I wasn't gawking at anything!"

"Sure.. well if you're ready to go inside…" Olivia began walking closer towards the door. Edward took one last look before following her. His thoughts wandered to what the inside looked like.

A woman in her late forties opened the door, "My Livie is home!" She exclaimed before pulling Olivia into a hug.

"Hi mom." She spoke into her mom's shoulder.

Once they were done hugging the woman turned to Edward, "And you must be Edward!" She extended a hand to him. While shaking her hand he looked carefully at her features. She looked a lot like Olivia. She too had dark brown hair but hers was cut short. They even had similar face structures. The only difference was that Olivia had blue eyes instead of brown.

"Hello Ms. Walcott. Thank you for having me this weekend." He gave her one of his dazzling fake smiles. Maybe if he were Olivia's real boyfriend he would be more enthusiastic but right now he only wanted to sleep.

"Oh please call me Christie."

Edward nodded while trying to see inside.

"Where's dad?" Olivia asked surveying the empty doorway.

"He was so inspired earlier and had to write everything down. By eleven he could hardly stay awake so I sent him to bed."

Olivia was slightly disappointed not to see her dad but she was tired too. Before her mother could begin chatting with them Olivia interrupted, "look mom we're really tired so if we could just head to sleep."

"Okay. I made up the guest room for you two."

Both Olivia and Edward stopped in their tracks and didn't move. Neither of them wanted nor planned to share a room.

"Alright." Olivia managed to grit through her teeth, "goodnight mom." She leaned in to kiss her mom goodnight with a fake smile.

"Goodnight Ms.- I mean Christie." Edward's voice still managed to sound bright even though Olivia knew he was exhausted.

Olivia led the way through the grand doors which opened up into a large foyer. The floors were all made of hardwood and even the ceiling was lined with wood planks. The walls were a mix between stone and cream paint. A staircase made of a dark wood and metal led to another floor that Ed was unable to see. Just past the stairs he was able to make out a living room on the left side and a kitchen on the right. The lights were dimmed so he would have to wait until tomorrow to fully examine everything. On each side of the hallway a few doors remained closed to unknown rooms.

"David!" Olivia practically screeched as soon as she entered the house. It snapped Edward out of his trance. He looked over to see her hugging an older guy. The man was tall with grey, receding hair. He had on a warm smile as he greeted her, "Hello young Miss Walcott."

The butler turned to Ed, "Pleasure to meet you sir." They shook hands, "let me take your bags from you."

After greeting the man Ed handed over one of Olivia's bags and she handed over her other one. Olivia climbed up the staircase after David with Edward following behind. He tried his best to take everything in. Up the stairs they entered into a long hallway that ended with a small den. David led them inside one of the many doors on the right. He put the bags down before turning to Olivia, "welcome home." He said with a smile before leaving and closing the door.

Edward fell instantly in love with the bedroom. A four poster king size bed without a canopy was placed in the middle of the room. The dark wood contrasted beautifully with the light brown sheets. The floor was a lighter wood but was partially covered by a cream plush carpet. In front of the bed was a dark brown loveseat which was facing the fireplace. Above the stone hung a flat screen tv. A book shelf and two dressers made of the same dark wood were against various walls. Decorative vases and knick knacks were placed around the room. Edward walked over towards the glass door on the opposite side of the wall. It was dark but he assumed it led to a balcony. That side of the wall also was covered in tall windows. He would have to remember tomorrow to check out the view.

While Ed looked around Olivia dug through her bag for pajamas. He was too engrossed with the room to notice her step inside the bathroom.

"You can go shower or change." Olivia said when she returned. She had on black and white plaid flannel pajamas with light pink stitching.

Edward thought about how late it was before replying, "I think I'll shower in the morning." He swiftly got his clothes and toiletries out before going inside the other room. Again he found himself in shock. The bathroom was three times the size of his own bathroom at home. The floor was a white marble that was cold on his feet. Everything felt much more luxurious. Ed pondered who would need a shower that big while he brushed his teeth.

When he came back into the room he was dressed in navy blue sweat pants and a grey tee shirt. Olivia had already crawled into bed but wasn't asleep yet. Edward noticed one of the pillows and an extra blanket on the rug next to the bed.

He picked up the pillow and put it on the bed next to Olivia, "you must be insane if you think I'm sleeping on the floor." Without waiting for her response he climbed under the comforter and laid next to her.

"No! I can't sleep on the floor." Olivia shouted at him while sitting up and crossing her arms.

He rolled his eyes at her, "yet you expect me to."

Olivia thought briefly about the situation before speaking, "fine.. but just don't touch me. Stay on your side of the bed." With that she rolled over to face away from him.

He too rolled away from her but accidentally brushed his leg against hers.

Olivia felt chills from this small interaction, "I-I said not to-" she began to stumble out.

"Touch you. Yes I know. It was an accident." He replied in a monotone voice.

"Goodnight." She said back in the same flat tone.


End file.
